


Happy Endings

by CaitlinRose94



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2840846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaitlinRose94/pseuds/CaitlinRose94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I kept seeing posts on tumblr about Hollence shippers wanting more fics, so I thought - hey, I might as well write one.</p>
<p>Set at Silas U. Danny's POV. Elements of the show are included, but it does not follow it canonically or fit in to any particular time frame.</p>
<p>Some fluff. Some angst. Forgive me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Endings

Danny hadn’t noticed her at first. She was too busy. Too busy with her studies. Too busy with her TA duties. Too busy with the Summer Society. She’d been running herself ragged, but it was worth it. She’d worked her ass off to be accepted at Silas U and she wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. There wasn’t any time left for daydreaming. But one day, she did notice her, and it felt like all of the oxygen was being sucked from her lungs. 

*

It was storming outside. Danny’s letterman jacket was draped over an unoccupied desk at the front of the classroom. The rain was coming down in sheets and she’d gotten soaked on her way here. Late autumn in Styria wasn’t the best time to be sitting around in a t-shirt. She raised her hands to her mouth and tried to breathe some warmth in to them. You’d think an institution as old as this one would have some sort of heating system for the classrooms, but alas, no. 

Danny glanced at the clock. The lesson had technically started ten minutes ago, but only three students had shown so far. She didn’t blame them. If she’d had a choice in the matter, she would have stayed in her dorm room too. She thought wistfully of the cafeteria and its unnaturally tasty hot cocoa. Perry was probably baking some kind of delicious warm treat for the girls in her dorm. They weren’t exactly good friends, but Perry was always kind to her. She’d even baked her cupcakes for her birthday last year. She let out a sigh and her breath misted in front of her eyes. Danny was considering making a trip to visit the campus dragon when she walked in. 

Her honey-blonde hair was matted across her face. ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry!’ She stumbled over in to a seat, leaving a trail of water droplets in her wake. When she realised that her coat had dripped across the floor she squeaked out another apology and peeled it off, laying it next to Danny’s own jacket. 

The professor’s eyes flicked up. ‘Laura Hollis.’

Laura.

‘You’re late.’

Laura’s cheeks went pink. She was completely adorable. Danny felt an urge to alleviate some of her embarrassment. 

‘Everyone’s late, professor. Laura’s practically early,’ Danny said as she lowered her eyes to the papers in front of her.

The professor clicked her tongue. She wasn’t one for jokes. Danny knew this, and yet she couldn’t stop herself.

‘Can’t exactly say that she missed any riveting content in the last ten minutes.’

She avoided the professor’s gaze. But she was right. Neither of them had even addressed the class yet. Everyone had just been sitting about and waiting for more students to arrive.

The professor rose from her seat. ‘So this is everyone.’

Laura’s hand shot up. Danny grinned and looked down. Who raises their hand in a classroom full of exactly _six_ people? This girl, evidently.

‘Yes, Miss Hollis?’

She cleared her throat before speaking. ‘There was nobody else in the quad. Everybody’s in their dorm rooms.’

‘Thank you for the information, Miss Hollis, but what use is it to me?’

Danny saw the smile falter on Laura’s lips. 

‘I, uh, I just meant that I don’t think anybody else is coming.’ Her hand sunk down and came to rest on her desk. She looked like a little kid that just got scolded by a parent. Danny’s chest felt weird.

‘Hey, Professor?’ Brody Kirsch had his hand in the air now. Apparently Laura had started a trend. ‘Are we, like, going to start this lesson? Cause there’s some Zeta bros meeting soon to talk about the party tonight and I’d kinda like to be there.’

The professor pursed her lips and stared at him. He shifted his eyes before speaking again.

‘Which… you’re invited to?’

Danny bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Kirsch might just be the most clueless person she’d ever met. 

‘Thank you for the invite Brody, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.’ Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. ‘As for today’s lesson, consider it cancelled. I’ll push the content to next week’s class. I suggest you all head back to your dorms and keep out of the rain.’

Danny stared at the lesson plan in front of her that she’d dedicated three hours to last night. Breathe in, breathe out. The dean won’t be writing her any recommendations if she assaults a member of faculty. The door swung shut behind the professor as she exited the room. Danny observed the students before her. Laura was gingerly lifting her jacket from the table. It was drenched. 

Kirsch swung his bag over his shoulder and approached Laura. Danny averted her eyes and began gathering her paperwork; she didn’t want to look like she was listening.

‘Hey, little nerd hottie.’

Ugh. He’s a pig.

‘Coming to the party tonight?’

‘I don’t think so, Kirsch. Our Lit paper is due in less than two weeks. You might have finished but I need all the time I can get.’

‘Oh yeah, I haven’t started that yet.’

Danny’s eyes shifted up. She couldn’t help herself. Laura’s mouth was hanging open.

‘You haven’t _started_? And you’re still going to a party tonight?’ She asked.

Kirsch shrugged. ‘It’s a Zeta party, all bros must be present.’

Laura looked like she was trying very hard to not roll her eyes. Danny rose from her seat and walked over to them. She cleared her throat. Kirsch jumped.

‘Your Lit TA is still here Kirsch,’ Danny said, ‘and she suggests that you start your paper.’

‘Well, can Kirsch suggest that his hot Lit TA attends the party tonight?’

Danny frowned. ‘Kirsch can stop referring to himself in the third person.’

He shrugged and followed the other two students toward the exit, but not before turning back, pointing at them and saying ‘See you hotties later.’

The sound of the door shutting echoed across the room. Laura spoke first.

‘He’s… interesting, isn’t he?’

Danny laughed. ‘He’s a douche.’

Her jacket was too damp to be worn, so Laura slung it over her arm. She glanced at the window and sighed.

‘You’ll freeze if you go out there in just that,’ Danny said, referring to Laura’s button up.

‘I know, but I don’t really have much of a choice.’ She lifted her arm. The jacket slid off of it and slumped on to the floor. She groaned and bent over to scrape it back up. Danny picked up her letterman jacket, which was relatively dry now.

‘Why don’t you take mine?’ 

Laura looked at the jacket that Danny was extending to her.

‘I couldn’t.’

‘You can.’

Carefully, Danny draped it around Laura’s shoulders. She stood back and laughed. Laura was at least a foot shorter than her and was drowning in the fabric. She grabbed the edges and pulled them around her.

‘I feel like I’m wearing a blanket.’

Danny grinned. The bottom of the jacket fell at her knees. She might have stared at her legs for a moment longer than she should have. She bit her lip, ‘You look cute.’

Her heart rate quickened. Was that an inappropriate thing to say?

Laura looked up at her and smiled. ‘Thank you.’

‘I’m Danny, by the way.’ She extended her hand and then immediately withdrew it. Who shakes hands? She’s such a dork.

‘I know.’

Danny blinked. ‘You do?’

Laura zipped up her bag and slipped it on. ‘Yeah of course I do. I mean, you are my Lit TA.’

Right. Stupid.

Danny ran a hand through her hair. ‘Hey, uh, can I walk you to your dorm?’

‘You’ll have to if you want this jacket back. It’s going to get soaked by the rain.’

A lone umbrella sat in the corner of the room. Some student had obviously forgotten it here. It wouldn’t be stealing – she’d bring it right back. 

Danny walked over and picked it up. ‘I’ve got us covered.’

The rain had lessened, but it was still heavy. They teetered at the edge of the building. Danny opened up the umbrella. She put on her best Kirsch impression, ‘Can I escort you, my lady?’

Laura chuckled and curtsied. They stepped out in to the rain together. The height difference made things a little difficult. Rain kept being blown underneath the umbrella. Laura stepped closer and wrapped a hand around her waist. ‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘but if I stand any further away I’ll get drenched.’

Danny didn’t mind at all.

‘So are you going to the Zeta party?’ Laura asked.

Danny snorted. ‘Spending a whole evening with Kirsch and his frat buddies doesn’t really sound like my kind of night.’

‘Oh, he’s not that bad! I mean, he’s a total misogynistic jerk, but I don’t think he’s aware of what he’s saying half the time.’

‘Well, call me old fashioned, but I don’t think ignorance is a strong enough excuse for misogyny.’

‘No arguments here.’

Laura slipped on the wet concrete and Danny dipped to catch her. She grabbed her around the waist, dropping the umbrella in the process. Rain splattered against both of their faces. Laura was squealing and laughing at the same time. ‘Ah! Grab the umbrella, quick!’

Danny was laughing too. She picked it up and held it above their heads again. Laura pushed her hair out of her face. Her hand gripped around Danny’s forearm. Her chest tightened.

‘So,’ Danny said, trying to keep her voice even, ‘do you think you’ll go to the party if you get your homework done early?’

Laura walked along, staring at her own feet. ‘Hm, I’m not sure. I’m worried that Kirsch might have a crush on me.’

‘You don’t think he’s cute?’ Danny teased.

A look washed over Laura’s face that she couldn’t read. ‘He’s… not exactly my type.’

Danny bit her lip and hoped the next thing out of her mouth would sound as casual as she’d hoped, ‘Not in to frat guys, or?’

‘You could say that.’

Well that was ambiguous. Danny felt a tug on her arm and realised that Laura had stopped walking. ‘This is my stop.’ She started pulling off the letterman jacket.

‘No,’ Danny said, ‘keep it. Get it back to me another day. It looks better on you anyway.’

Laura’s mouth twitched. ‘Thank you.’

Danny’s heart was threatening to burst out of her chest. She swallowed. ‘I guess I’ll see you in class.’

‘I guess so.’ Laura walked away and then paused in the doorway. ‘Unless I see you tonight.’

‘Tonight?’

‘Yeah. Ya know… if I finish my homework. Kirsch might be a jerk, but that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying a party.’

The door swung shut behind her. Danny exhaled. Suddenly attending Kirsch’s party sounded like the best idea in the world.

*

A multi-coloured pile of jeans littered the floor. Danny tossed another pair on top of it. Her roommate – Rachel – groaned.

‘Jesus, Danny, just pick a pair! Who are you trying to impress, anyway?’

She felt her ears heat up. ‘Nobody.’

Rachel sat up. ‘That hot guy from Calc?’

Danny shot her an incredulous look.

‘Okay, that’s a no. The cute girl from your Lit class?’

Danny’s throat went dry. ‘What girl?’

‘Mandy.’

She didn’t even know who that was. ‘No. I’m not trying to impress anybody.’

Rachel raised an eyebrow. ‘Okay, but let’s say – hypothetically – that you _were_ trying to impress someone, would you want my opinion?’

Danny made a loud sucking sound through her teeth. ‘Hypothetically.’

‘Wear the green ones. Wear a tank top. And get out of our room.’

‘A tank top? I’ll freeze.’

‘No you won’t. Zetas have heating in their dorms.’

Zeta perks. Danny frowned. The Summer Society never got any perks. Sexist bullshit.

She slipped on her high-waisted green jeans and a white tank top. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered what Laura would be wearing.

*

One hour in to the party and no sign of Laura. Danny sighed and placed her unopened drink on to a table. She shouldn’t have expected her to be here. TA and student relationships weren’t banned, but they certainly weren’t encouraged. Besides, for all she knew, Laura was straight. Oh god, she might already have a boyfriend. She was making a total ass out of herself.

A shock of bright orange hair was bopping along through the crowd.

‘Perry!’ Danny called.

The floor don managed to disentangle herself from a group of students and make her way over. ‘Hi, Danny.’ She looked stressed. ‘Having a pleasant evening, I hope?’

‘Not so much. This isn’t really my scene. I’ve gotta say, I’m surprised to see you here.’

Perry huffed. ‘This is not my ideal Wednesday night, I can assure you! I’m here in an official capacity.’

‘Official?’

A loud crash sounded from somewhere to their left. Danny’s head whipped around just in time to catch sight of LaFontaine dusting themself off. Perry was shaking her head.

‘Ah, official. I see.’ Danny said. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, ‘Hey, Perry? Laura Hollis lives in your dorm, right?’

Perry kept her eyes trained on LaFontaine – who was now doing some kind of weird dance that involved them shaking empty alcohol bottles around – but she nodded.

‘Do you, uh, know if she’s coming to the party tonight?’

Thankfully Perry was too distracted to pick up on how obvious Danny’s crush was. ‘Last I saw, she was hunched over her paper and rambling about how she wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. I doubt she’ll show up ton- LaFontaine! Put those down immediately!’ She rushed off to rescue the dinner plates being balanced on LaFontaine’s head.

Danny’s heart dropped. She should have known nothing good could come from attending a Zeta party.

*

When class rolled around again, Danny found that she was constantly checking the door for Laura. The lesson wouldn’t begin for another five minutes. She should really be going over the papers in front of her, but her eyes kept being dragged away from them.

Finally, she appeared. Danny immediately lowered her eyes. She’d be mortified if Laura caught her staring. After a few seconds, she chanced a glance. Laura was leaning over and pulling a textbook out of her bag. The letterman jacket was draped around her shoulders.

 

When the class finished, she took her time packing up her things, and noticed that Laura was doing the same. Once the room had emptied, she approached her.

‘How did you go with your paper the other night?’

Laura groaned. ‘Not well. I stayed up until four last night and I’ve barely done half of it. For some reason I just can’t wrap my brain around it.’

Danny fiddled with the hem of her shirt. ‘I could tutor you.’

Laura glanced around warily. Very quietly, she said, ‘Is that legal?’

Danny burst out laughing. She couldn’t help herself. Laura blushed.

‘Yeah, I’m your TA. I schedule meetings with students and assist them all the time.’

Laura’s smile made Danny’s heart hurt. ‘That would be great!’

That smile was brighter than the sun. ‘We could meet in the library?’

‘No way,’ Laura said, ‘I am not going back in there if I can avoid it.’

She lifted her sleeve up to reveal a small bite mark. Clearly she’d had an encounter with one of the more aggressive volumes that reside in the stacks. Danny laughed. ‘Okay, fair enough.’

‘Why don’t we just meet in my room?’

Did time just slow down?

‘Uh, your room?’

‘Yeah! Why not? My last roommate left a week ago and I haven’t been assigned a new one yet, so we’ll have it to ourselves.’

Time may have come to a screeching halt all together.

‘Yeah.’ Her voice came out an octave higher than usual. She cleared her throat. ‘Uh, yeah, sure. Tomorrow?’

‘Perfect!’ Laura shuffled off the letterman jacket and handed it to Danny. ‘I washed it for you. I might have worn it a couple of times since last week… it’s so comfy! I hope that’s okay.’

Danny took the jacket from her. It smelt like cookies and Laura’s perfume. ‘Yeah, not a problem at all.’

Laura smiled. ‘I’ve gotta go, I’m meeting a friend for a study session, but I’ll see you tomorrow! Room 307.’

Laura disappeared out in to the hall. Danny slipped the jacket on. She’d never felt so warm.

*

She reached out and knocked on Laura’s door. No response. Danny turned to leave when it clicked open. Her mouth fell open.

‘Sorry!’ Laura was wearing a towel and nothing else.

Danny’s eyes shot upward. Suddenly the ceiling was very interesting.

‘Come in, come in! Just give me one moment.’ She disappeared in to the bathroom.

Danny’s left arm felt numb. She wouldn’t be surprised if she were having an actual heart attack. The sight of steam rising from Laura’s wet skin was burned in to her retinas. Jesus. She wasn’t prepared for that.

The bathroom door opened to reveal Laura in a pair of pajama pants and a grey tank top. Somehow, this wasn’t any better. Danny’s palms were sweating.

‘So,’ she said as she sat down in front of her computer, ‘I’ve written a little bit more since yesterday. But I don’t even know if I’m on the right track.’

Danny stood behind her and leant down to examine the screen.

‘Oh!’ Laura squeaked. ‘I’m such an ungracious host!’ She hurried off to retrieve a chair from the corner of the room and wheeled it to the computer. ‘Please sit.’

It was a little too high off the ground. Danny was still towering over Laura.

Laura propped her hand down on the mouse and scrolled through her document. ‘This part in particular – I’m completely lost.’

Danny read the paragraph over. She cracked a smile. ‘That’s great. That’s exactly what the professor is looking for.’

Laura was practically glowing. ‘ _Really?_ That’s such a relief! This paper has been driving me crazy, honestly.’

Danny took another twenty minutes going over the rest of what Laura had written. She leant back in her chair. Laura was staring at her nervously. 

‘This is worthy of an A, easily.’

Laura squealed and threw her arms around Danny’s neck. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hands, so she just let them hang awkwardly by her sides.

She pulled back. ‘Sorry – I’m just so happy! I was sure you were going to tell me I’d have to rewrite everything.’

Her brown eyes looked golden in this light. Danny smiled. ‘Have a little more faith in yourself. You’re great.’

Laura tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘I’m only half way through though, do you think you could come back in a couple of days to check up on my progress?’

Yeah. That definitely sounded like something she was willing to do.

*

The tutoring started becoming a weekly thing. Then they would meet twice a week. Now they were meeting almost every day. Today was Wednesday, which meant they were going for pie together after class. There was something ungodly about those pies – but Danny wasn’t about to question them. Blissful ignorance meant that she could go on enjoying their deliciousness. 

Laura popped the final piece of her pie in to her mouth. ‘Oh my god, why are these so good?’ Her voice was muffled.

Danny laughed. ‘I have my suspicions, but I’m not going to voice them in here.’

Laura glanced around and lowered her voice, ‘That’s super secret business that we’ll discuss later.’

She lived for Wednesdays.

‘Oh,’ she said as she lowered her fork, ‘I got a letter from the dean. Seems I’ll be meeting my new roommate tomorrow.’

Danny frowned. ‘Damn. I’ll miss being able to hang out alone in that room.’

‘We can be alone together in other places.’ Laura said this so casually. It was amazing how oblivious she could be to the way her words affected Danny.

She cleared her throat. ‘So I guess we should head back there after this.’

Laura feigned being upset. ‘Yeah, gotta soak up all the time we’ve got left. It’s been real.’

The balled up napkin that collided with her face shut her up.

*

Danny was reading in the library when a book was slammed down on her table. Laura plopped herself down in the seat beside her. She was livid.

‘So…’ Danny said as she lowered her book, ‘how do you like the new roommate?’

Laura exploded in to a rant about her – Carmilla. Apparently she was a complete slob that was “rude and temperamental” and “had left enough of her hair in the shower drain for Laura to knit a sweater”. Danny chuckled. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was exaggerating. Surely nobody is that inconsiderate.

‘Can we meet in your dorm room tomorrow?’ Laura slumped down in the chair and rested her head on the table. Danny reached over and ran her fingers through her hair.

‘Yeah, of course we can.’

Laura relaxed at her touch. She sat up and took Danny’s hand in her own.

‘Thank you.’

Electricity.

*

The sun was just starting to dip behind the mountains when there was a knock on her door. When Danny opened it Laura breezed past her and collapsed on her bed. She buried her face in Danny’s pillows.

‘Ughhhhh.’

The bed dipped slightly as Danny sat beside her. She placed a gentle hand on her back. ‘Let me guess – Carmilla?’

Laura rolled over. Danny’s hand flitted away.

‘She’s insufferable. Honestly. I don’t know how much longer I can put up with her. I’m going to rip all of my hair out, Danny! She’s going to drive me bald!’

Danny laughed. ‘I’m sure you’d look cute bald.’

‘That’s not the point.’ She was smiling. ‘I’ve just never experienced such an inconsiderate mess of a human being. And the dean won’t answer my calls about switching rooms. I’ll be stuck with her for the next _four years_. Oh god.’ Laura started rubbing her eyes. Her body was all tensed up.

‘All right, come here.’ Danny scooped her up so that she was sitting up straight. She placed two hands on her shoulders. ‘Laura Hollis, you need to relax.’

Laura scrunched her face up. Even though it was a sign that she was distressed, Danny couldn’t help but find that face cute. ‘I can’t relax. I can’t go back to my own room. I can’t even relax in my own bed – she keeps stealing my pillow!’

Danny swallowed. ‘Stay here.’

Laura bit her lip. ‘Will your roommate be in tonight?’

‘Yes.’

‘That only leaves one bed.’

Danny hoped she looked calmer than she felt. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to hear the answer to her next question. ‘Is that a problem for you?’

Laura’s expression was unreadable. Her own breathing was echoing inside of her head. The sun had gone completely down now. Soft yellow light framed Laura’s face. God, she was so beautiful.

‘No.’

That was the first night Laura had slept over. It didn’t take long for it to become a regular thing, and by the third night, Danny’s arms were wrapped around her.

*

The heavy bags under Laura’s eyes made Danny worry. She’d been watching her for the whole lesson and she looked as though she could fall asleep at any moment. She hadn’t been by the last few nights. The arrows on the classroom’s clock seemed to be crawling along at an abnormally slow pace. Tick tock. The professor was droning on about something. Tick tock. Kirsch blurted out an incorrect answer. Tick tock. Tick tock.

When the lesson finally ended, Danny immediately crossed the room towards Laura.

She glanced up at her and offered a half-hearted smile. ‘Hey, Danny.’

Danny reached over and cupped her face. Her thumb ran along her cheek. ‘You look so tired.’

The pile of books on her desk weren’t all for this class. That must mean she was falling behind on her schoolwork.

Laura pushed her chair back and stood up. Danny pulled her in to a quick hug. They weren’t alone yet; people were still filing out of the room.

‘I am tired.’

‘Nothing that pie can’t fix,’ Danny grinned.

That weak smile crossed Laura’s face again. ‘I don’t think I’m up for it today. I haven’t gotten much sleep the last few nights. Carmilla’s kind of been keeping me up with her drama.’

Danny frowned. ‘Why don’t you come and sleep at my place tonight?’

‘That sounds perfect.’ She yawned. ‘I’ll text you later.’

She walked out of the room. Danny watched her go with a heavy heart.

*

_Danny 5.44pm: Hey, how are you feeling?_

….

_Danny 6.03pm: Are you still coming over tonight?_

_Laura 6.10pm: Hi! I don’t think I’ll make it over tonight. I’m so behind on homework, I really need to catch up._

_Danny 6.12pm: Are you behind on Lit? Do you want me to come over and help you?_

_Laura 6.21pm: Aw, that’s sweet, but I’m fine. Carmilla is actually helping me. You know, making up for the sleepless nights and whatnot._

_Danny 6.25pm: Oh. That’s nice of her._

_Laura 6.31pm: Yeah, surprisingly. Anyway I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I need to buckle down and Carmilla says my phone is a distraction._

_Danny 6.33pm: Since when do you listen to that grumpy girl? But okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow._

…

No reply.

*

The first time Danny saw Carmilla, it was snowing. She was reading in the library when a girl trudged in and left a trail of dirty ice behind her. She raised an eyebrow. The librarians weren’t going to be very happy.

Their eyes met and the girl smirked. Danny frowned. She leant over to the girl sitting at the same table. ‘Who on earth is that?’

‘You’re kidding, right?’ She responded.

Danny’s face was blank.

‘That’s Carmilla Karnstein.’

Her stomach dropped. _That’s_ Carmilla? She was dressed from head to toe in black and seemed to have a permanent sneer attached to her face. Her hands flipped through the books on the stacks impatiently and she left them all in the wrong order. Inconsiderate. Rude. Laura wasn’t wrong.

But she was also smoking hot. Somehow Laura had left that part out.

‘That’s Carmilla.’ She’d said it more to herself than anyone else, but the girl at her table responded anyway.

‘Yeah. She’s basically everybody’s dream girl.’

Danny watched her stuff a book unceremoniously in to her backpack. ‘I don’t know about that.’

‘Come on, you’re really not attracted to her?’

Danny snorted. ‘Are you?’

‘Well, yeah! And I’m not the only one.’

Danny lowered her book. ‘What, do you all get together at sleepovers and talk about your crushes on her?’

The girl looked indignant. ‘No, I _don’t_ do that. Besides,’ she sighed, ‘there’s no point in mooning after her.’

‘Because she’s a self-absorbed asshole?’

The girl blinked. ‘No, because she’s already spoken for.’

‘What lunatic is hooking up with that girl?’

‘Laura Hollis.’

Any friendly expression that may have been lingering on Danny’s face slid off immediately. She gripped her book a little too hard.

‘Where the hell did you hear that nonsense from?’

‘Everybody’s talking about it. Okay, so they’re not “hooking up”, but they’re always making googly eyes at each other. Carmilla’s totally sweet on her.’

A long pause.

‘What’s your name again?’

‘Elsie.’

Danny snapped her book shut and stood up from the table. ‘Mind your own fucking business, Elsie.’ She stormed out of the library before the girl had a chance to respond.

*

Laura’s hands were folded in her lap. Danny was pacing back and forth in front of her.

‘Uh, Danny?’ Laura asked. ‘Do you maybe wanna tell me whatever it is you need to talk to me about?’

Her pacing stopped. She took a deep breath. ‘What are we doing?’

Laura’s eyebrows knitted together. ‘We’re talking.’

‘No,’ Danny’s hands flew up in to the air, ‘I mean between us. What are we doing?’

She sucked her bottom lip in to her mouth. ‘Why is it my responsibility to define it?’

‘Because you’re the one getting involved with other girls.’

‘ _Excuse me?_ ’

Danny tried to control her temper, but she couldn’t. ‘You and Carmilla. I know.’

‘Know what? Please fill me in because I seem to be out of the loop.’ Her tone was eerily calm.

Danny took a deep breath. ‘I know that you have feelings for her. And I know that she has feelings for you.’

A beat. ‘How on earth did you come to this conclusion?’

‘Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? You spend all of your time together. Not to mention that she’s hot – how come that never came up?’

Laura’s hands tensed. ‘I’m sorry, am I supposed to give a detailed description of every girl I spend time with to you now?’

‘Yes!’ The look on Laura’s face caused Danny to backtrack. ‘Well, I mean – no – but you could have mentioned that she was an attractive lesbian.’

‘Why the hell is that important?’

‘I don’t know! It just is!’

Danny was pacing again. The air felt hot in here despite the freezing cold outside.

‘Listen, Danny, you’re obviously stressed out. I’m going to go, and I’ll speak to you later.’

‘Oh,’ Danny’s voice was sarcastic now, ‘so you’re going back to be with _her_ , are you? Well that’s just fine, don’t let me stand in your way.’

Laura got up from the bed and folded her hands across her chest. ‘Why are you acting this way?’

‘Because – because I’m jealous, Laura!’

‘Of _what?_ Of Carmilla? She’s just my roommate.’

She was at her breaking point. Calm and collected Danny would have been able to stop the next words from coming out of her mouth; but wild and jealous Danny didn’t possess the self-control. ‘Are you sleeping with her?’

An expression crossed Laura’s face that she’d never seen before. Her jaw clenched.

She’d gone too far but it was too late.

‘How dare you.’ Her voice was shaking.

Danny blinked. Her shoulders went slack. ‘I’m sorry. That was out of line, I didn’t mean to-‘

‘How DARE you. Who do you think you are, Danny Lawrence? My friend? My _girlfriend?_ My father?’

‘No, no Laura I didn’t –‘ 

‘I’ll see you in class.’

She didn’t storm out of the room. She walked. But her face had never looked so cold.

Danny sat down on her bed and buried her face in her hands. She’d ruined everything.

*

Wednesday.

Laura doesn’t meet her eyes for the entire lesson.

She doesn’t linger after class.

They don’t go for pie in the cafeteria.

*

Two weeks after their argument.

Danny was walking to one of her classes when she spotted them. Laura and Carmilla. Strolling along through the campus together. Laura scooped up some snow and dumped it on Carmilla’s head. Carmilla chased her while Laura squealed. They disappeared behind a building.

She looked happy.

*

It’s thirteen days until Christmas.

Laura finally meets her eye. Danny offers up a smile. It isn’t returned.

*

Eleven days until Christmas.

Danny was sitting in the library with her nose in a book. She’d been reading a lot lately. It was an easy way to get her mind off of Laura.

She hears the sound of the chair beside her being pulled out but doesn’t take her eyes off the page.

‘Hey.’

It’s not a voice that she recognises, and when she lowers the book and sees Carmilla staring at her, her breath catches in her throat.

Danny doesn’t know how to approach this situation. ‘Can I help you?’ That sounded a bit harsher than she’d intended.

Carmilla lifted her legs up and put her boots on the table. Danny’s eyes followed the movement. She frowned. 

‘She misses you, Big Red.’

The book is face down on the table now.

‘What?’

Carmilla looks bored. ‘Laura. She misses you.’

What kind of weird game was she trying to play? If this was her attempt at trying to humiliate her, it was really low. She picked her book up and kept reading.

A pale hand tore it from her grasp. ‘Are you listening to me, Xena?’

‘Actually, I’m not. I’m trying to read.’

‘Jesus,’ Carmilla sneered, ‘I’ve got no idea why she’s so obsessed with you.’

She pulled her boots off of the table and started to rise from her chair. Danny’s hand shot out and closed around her arm.

‘What do you mean?’

Carmilla’s eyes slid to Danny’s hand. She immediately let go.

‘She’s been brooding in our room for weeks. Ever since your stupid argument over me.’

Danny’s cheeks went red. Carmilla grinned.

‘Yeah, she told me. And I’m really flattered that you think I’m a threat – but I’m not.’

‘So,’ Danny said, eyeing her suspiciously, ‘you’re really going to tell me that you’re not interested in her at all?’

Carmilla started picking at her nails. ‘No, I can’t tell you that. But what I can tell you is that Laura’s crazy about you. It’s kind of annoying, actually.’

Danny stared at her. ‘If you’re interested in her, why are you telling me this?’

Carmilla stood up from the table. ‘Because I care about her. I want her to be happy.’ She walked away, but paused a few feet from the table. ‘If you tell her about this conversation, I’ll kill you.’

Somehow, that didn’t feel like an empty threat.

*

Nine days until Christmas.

Danny was waiting by Laura’s building. Her scarf was bundled tightly around her throat – it was below freezing out here. She’d finally responded to her texts and agreed to meet her.

The doors opened. Laura trudged out in bright pink snow boots and a pink parka. Danny couldn’t help but smile.

Laura smiled too.

A good sign.

They walked along for a few moments before Danny spoke.

‘I’m sorry.’

It seemed like a stupid thing to say, but she didn’t know what else to do.

Laura stuffed her hands in to her pockets. ‘I know you are. But you have to understand, Danny, you don’t own me.’

She opened her mouth to argue but swallowed the words. After all, Laura was right. She’d behaved like a controlling jerk.

‘I know I don’t. I’m not going to make excuses for the way I acted. I was wrong.’

A few seconds of silence. ‘I forgive you.’

Laura’s hand laced around her waist. Danny couldn’t stop grinning.

They spent the rest of the day drinking hot chocolate and laughing. It was perfect.

*

Seven days until Christmas.

Everybody was packing up their stuff and jostling their way out of the dorm buildings. It was the first day of the Christmas break and cars were lined up waiting for students.

Danny brushed the snow off of her windshield. It was a three-hour drive home for her. Laura was leaning against the car door. Her father would be here soon.

‘And you’ll call?’ Laura asked.

Danny grinned. ‘I promise.’

‘Every day?’

‘I promise.’

Laura wrapped her arms around her. Danny melted at her touch.

‘Wow.’ Danny said.

Laura pulled back and looked up at her. ‘What?’

‘I don’t know. I’m just really going to miss you. Three weeks never felt like such a long break until now.’

Her face scrunched up. ‘But we can see each other over the break, can’t we?’

Danny’s whole body felt warm. ‘Yes, if that’s what you want. I can drive to your place after Christmas.’

‘It’s five hours.’

‘I’ll bring coffee.’

‘It’ll be snowing.’

‘I’ll bring tyre chains.’

‘It’ll be –‘

Danny leant down and kissed her. Her lips were surprisingly warm considering how cold it was out here. She pulled back. Her body felt like it could float away at any moment.

‘It’ll be worth it.’ Danny said.

Laura grabbed her by the collar and pulled her down for another kiss.

How did she ever get so lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> I _really_ wanted to make this an angsty piece of shit, but I figured it's Christmas, and Hollence shippers deserve a happy ending too (and maybe I have a soft spot for Danny in my heart). Happy Holidays!
> 
> P.S. I stayed up until 5am Christmas morning to write this, so if there are typos, I do not care. I'm going to sleep! Hope you enjoyed the story. :-)


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